Prince Nicholas

"Katherine Eleanor Harrington! Should I catch you with my box of marzipan, I swear to God, I shall - "

Almost the very instant after, I heard someone stomping upstairs, purposely ensuring that the sound of their boots is heard clear and hard against the marble stairs.

I squeezed the last of my clothes into my sack, shaking my head in amusement, as I heard Lord Roche chuckle beside me.

"I wish Lady Katherine all the best," I muttered wryly, "I know I would not want to be caught with that box."

"My niece has always had a penchant for Marzipan," he remarked, smiling, "Jeanne used to complain about how there is never enough sugar and almonds in her household for long."

"There has always been a shortage of those in Bordeux Castle, and especially so since my return from Osterlund," I laughed, as I tied up my sack and dusted my hands, relieved, "well, that brings us to the end of my packing. I would suppose this is farewell, Lord Roche."

"Not quite, Your Royal Highness," he broke into a broad grin.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"My wife has planned a small soiree this evening, attended only by our family, the Potentials, your friends and the Captains, before your departure tonight. Indeed, we would be delighted if you would grace us with your presence," he informed me sheepishly, embarrassed over the late invite.

However, I was thinking of something else. "Worry not about my attendance, Lord Roche. I will be most honoured to come. However, have you convinced your niece yet?"

I suppressed my laughter. Soirees mainly involved societal gossip disguised as polite conversation and music, and Julie lacked the patience for either.

Moreover, soirees had a dress code, and I highly doubted women were allowed to attend in their military uniforms.

Lord Roche gave me a secret smile. "We are having a special guest this evening, Your Royal Highness," he confided, "and Julie is good friends with her. She has consented to attend for this guest, because they have not seen each other in years."

Despite my will, I was curious. "Who is this guest, Lord Roche?"

"You will see for yourself soon, son. You will see."

***

"Would you like some more wine, Sire?" Lady Rosanna approached me, gesturing to the refreshment table.

I gave her a tight, close-lipped smile, and shook my head.

Ever since I had witnessed this pleasant mask of hers worn down to reveal the ugliness beneath, I could not remain as attached to her as I once was. Indeed, I was still wondering why she had given Julie such a cruel dressing down at the Ball on Monday, but I did not dare ask Julie for fear of upsetting her.

I doubted she would tell me, in any case.

However, I was more curious about other matters at the moment. "Do you know who this special guest is?" I turned towards Evoric and Ned now, who standing next to me.

They exchanged excited glances. "We do."

"And the guest is..." I prompted them.

"We are not telling you," Ned smirked.

"Indeed, where is the amusement in that?" Evoric pretended to frown.

"Beasts," I backhanded them both on their stomachs, annoyed, "why is it such a secret? Most importantly, why does everyone know about it except me?"

"That is because the arrival of our guest is a farewell surprise of sorts for you, old chap," Ned rolled his eyes, wincing as he rubbed the spot I had hit him earlier.

"And it will not be much of a surprise if we told you, would it?" Evoric chuckled, continuing to sip on his wine, clearly enjoying the drink at ease.

"My mind will explode soon," I groaned, gulping down the wine in one go, "I have been wondering and wondering since the moment I finished packing two hours ago."

"Your head is already about to explode from how full of yourself you are," a familiar sarcastic voice commented behind, "wondering for a mere two hours has nothing to do with it."

I turned around to find Julie striding towards me, neatly dressed in her army uniform, with her hair tucked under her beret in a neat bun. Clearly, she did not give a damn about the dress code.

And I loved it.

"You may want to stop staring, old chap. It is not polite," I heard Ned snicker under his breath, as he nudged me by the elbow.

I shot him an irritated glare in turn, as Julie approached us, grinning, accompanied by her equally impeccably dressed best friends.

Lisa placed her hand in Evoric's outstretched one, and he brought it up to his lips in a brief kiss, as they smiled at each other. The perfect understanding and harmony they portrayed in that one gesture without words was something that never failed to amaze me every time I saw it.

In the meanwhile, Ned seemed to have engaged Kat in a heated debate about ways to butcher meat, of all things he could talk about. The two were a strange pair of friends, each with an eccentric mind of their own.

But my heart, my eyes were only for one Lady there.

"For your sake, I am going to pretend I did not hear that, Julie," I smirked, "you look most lovely this evening."

Julie scowled almost at once, instead of blushing like I had half expected her to. "Another evening of tedious, pointless conversations. By God, I would not even have come in the first place," she muttered, huffing, "if not for – " she stopped herself in time.

"Yes, if not for who, ma petite chérie?" I prodded, shooting her a charming smile.

This time, I succeeded in making her blush. Indeed, I almost thought she would give in and blurt out the secret, but then again, I kept forgetting the fact that this was Julie.

"Patience, Your Royal Highness," a slow smirk spread across her lips, "you will know soon enough."

"That is what everyone tells me," I grumbled.

"Where are Tess and Clara, Nick?" she grinned, changing the subject, "I thought they would be with you."

"Lady Clarisse is with Captain Everard," I pointed to the far end of the chamber, where the pair stood beside the doors, chattering to the dozen with each other.

The usually shy Lady Clarisse was truly glowing in Captain Everard's company, laughing so loudly as if no one else could hear her.

Julie chuckled under her breath. "Those two," she shook her head in amusement, "what about Tess?"

"She is escorting our special guest here," I muttered darkly, "will you at least tell me now who it is?" I insisted.

A small, amused smile played upon her lips. "Nay."

"Attention, everyone!" Lord Roche cried then, tapping his wine glass with a metal spoon.

At once, everyone ceased what they were doing and turned to face him, where he stood beside the pianoforte.

"At last!" I heard Julie sigh under her breath, as she gazed upon the excited countenance of her uncle.

"I would like to personally announce the arrival of a special guest of ours this evening," his eyes sought me out, and he smiled straight at me in joy, "may I present to you, Her Imperial Majesty Queen Charlotte Marie Di Caprios of Osterlund!"

The double doors of the room flung open on cue to reveal a petite woman of five and twenty, dressed in a simple snow-white maternal gown with her right hand resting on her swollen belly. Her blue eyes twinkled with delight, as they held my shell-shocked gaze.

I heard the applause, I heard the cheers, I saw them all sink into bows and curtsies, but I simply could not bring myself to believe that she was truly here, a few steps before me.

"Sister-mine," I broke into a small smile, stunned.

***

The Lady Knight

The expression on Nick's face was priceless. He looked as if lightning had struck him there and then, and his eyes popped out of their sockets in astonishment.

In the meanwhile, the applause was slowly starting to fade as everyone gathered around where we were standing, putting on their widest smiles.

"Nick?" Charlie beamed as she waddled towards us.

He still had not moved.

"Nick?" she came to a gentle stop in front of him and waved a hand in front of his face, concerned, "are you all right?"

I looked between them, frowning. I backhanded Nick hard on his abdomen, shocking him out of his daze.

"Say something!" I hissed.

She did not hear me, but he did. "Sister-mine?"

She rolled her eyes, gazing up at him wryly. "Yes, blockhead?"

He broke into a wide grin, and enveloped her tiny form in his arms, squeezing her tightly. "You did not inform me you were visiting!"

"They have a word for it in English," she answered sarcastically, "they call it surprise."

He pulled back to kiss her forehead, smiling sheepishly. "I am afraid I am not the brightest around, Sister-mine," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

She laughed softly, looking at him. "It has only been about three months since I saw you, yet you still seem to have grown several inches in that time," she observed, resigned, "and you still make me feel as if I am a dwarf."

"Look at Julie and then you will not feel so bad about yourself," he snickered, gesturing to me.

I scowled at him, backhanding him again, this time even harder than before, as my eyes shot daggers at him. Lord, I hated being teased for my height.

Charlie turned to me, smiling, but it froze when her eyes fell on me. I jerked slightly, startled by the intensity of her observing gaze.

"When did you grow up?" she whispered in awe, placing her hands on my shoulder, "you were still learning to swing around a sword the last time I saw you, and now you are the Commander General of the Monriquan Armed Forces." Pride filled her voice.

I bowed to her, and smiled weakly. "Time flies, Char."

"So I have heard," was her wry answer, before she drew me into a gentle hug.

I patted her shoulder awkwardly for a moment, still uncomfortable with being held, before I drew back and grinned at her.

"'Tis good to see you again," I smiled genuinely.

"The pleasure is all mine," she returned it warmly, before she pounced on Kat and Lisa, who were only too happy to meet her after such a long time.

Thus, she was passed from one person to another to be made a fuss of. When all the greetings were over, she glanced around at us, grinning.

"Now, who is going to play the pianoforte for this soiree?"

***

I was completely and utterly mesmerised.

Anyone could run a sword through me at the moment, and I would not protest. An earthquake could occur at the moment, and I would not run away. Charlie, who was sitting next to me, could go into labour with her first born at the moment and I would not move an inch from my seat to help her.

The third possibility was highly probable. The senseless woman had crossed the rough seas in her eighth month of pregnancy, all alone.

She prided herself on having made the journey all by herself.

At the moment, however, I could think of nothing but delightful thoughts. I could see nothing but his callused fingers brushing across the ivory keys with precision and ease, that soft smile that curled on his lips.

I could hear nothing but the sweet music that flowed to infinity, nothing but his deep, melodious baritone singing softly along to it. It was almost as if his music painted beautiful portraits in my mind, portraits that I could convince myself were real.

When it ended, I was forced to return to the present world with a jolt, as we all stood up to applaud.

"How does he play so well?" I wondered out loud.

"He has been playing the pianoforte for a very long time," Charlie grinned, "and he loves it. It is similar to how you are excellent at duelling, because you love your sword, and you have been practising for a long time."

Kat gazed at her, impressed by her analogy. "Good one, Charlie."

Charlie pretended to bow, winking.

"Merci," Nick bowed, beaming as he returned to his seat on the other side of Charlie, "but I am afraid I have been playing for too long now. Lady Therese?" He gestured to her.

Panic flitted across Tess' face, seeing how she, Lisa, Ned, Nick, Clara and Lady Rosanna had taken turns to play all evening, and she was clearly tired as well.

In any case, they were the only ones in the room who knew how to play the pianoforte.

As the rest of us sat down once more, Lady Rosanna remained standing, with an all too innocent smile on her lips. "Tess has been playing all evening as well. Mayhap we should have someone else play the pianoforte for us this evening apart from all those who have already had their turn," her smooth voice suggested.

The sense of foreboding came back in full force.

Lady Rosanna's snake-like eyes settled on me. "May I invite Lady Juliette to play a piece for us this evening?" she held out a hand towards me.

I almost spat out the wine I was drinking, bolting upright. "Me?"

Charlie and Nick shot me identical concerned looks, as Kat and Lisa openly glared at Lady Rosanna. "Aye, my dear," she grinned with a hint of malice, "I understand that your mother was a pianoforte teacher. Naturally, as her daughter, you must surely know how to play, yes?"

"Rose," Oncle Tom hissed in anger, and was ignored.

The tension in the room thickened manifolds as I glared at her with all the hatred I had in me.

Did she have to bring Mama into this? Did she?

"Or did she forget to teach you?" she continued poisonously soft.

"Mother," Tess warned, much to my surprise.

But Lady Rosanna took no notice of her, as she continued to smile down at me in a sinister way.

Truth be told, I could always refuse and say that I did not know how to play the pianoforte. Indeed, it was true I did not know how to play, except one song. The lullaby Mama had taught me to play all those years ago.

However, I could not face the pianoforte now. Not after her death.

However, if I were to refuse, Lady Rosanna would surely reply in kind with another jibe to insult Mama in front of everyone, and I truly could not guarantee that I would be able to keep my hands to myself.

The urge to strike out at this witch had been burning within me for too long, and I was very much afraid that I might lose my control today. All week, she had been trying to wear me down like she had on the Ball night, but I strangely found strength to keep persevering from the presence of my friends around me, including Nick.

Still, that did not mean that my patience had no limits.

How I longed to put her in her place!

Could I do it? Could I gain a grip on myself and play the pianoforte after all these years, to shove it in this abominable woman's face once and for all that she had no power whatsoever over me?

There was only one way to find out.

***

Lord Thomas De Beauharnais of Roche

I clenched my fists in anger.

Rose had no right to imply such things about my sister, no right to hurt my – nay, our niece – like she was doing at the present.

I was about to stand up, drag Rose out of the room and put an end to this nonsense, when I felt a hand on my arm. Startled, I looked up into the ocean blue eyes of my elder daughter, Tess.

"Nay, Papa," she murmured, her voice solemn, "do not involve yourself in this. Jules is well capable of fighting her own battles."

I frowned. "Tess – "

"Mama is intent on antagonising her. You must have realised by now that she planned the soiree solely for this moment," she chuckled humourlessly, "if you stop her from having her way now, she will become angry with you. You know what will happen after that." Her ocean blue eyes were empty.

I knew. I knew Rose was afraid of arguing with me directly, or antagonising me in any way. Thus, she poured out all her rage and grievances on our daughters instead, whenever I was away from home, be it when I was on progress around Roche, or at Bordeux serving on the Crown Council.

Tess bore the brunt of it. However, to this day, she stubbornly kept her mouth shut, and refused to tell me exactly what it was that she endured at her mother's hands. No number of spies I stationed in the Manor in my absence could discover it, or prevent it from happening.

It made it impossible for me to even confront Rose about it.

I took her hand in mine. "I wish you would tell me what she does to you, little one," I was frustrated now, "I am your father. Why will you not allow me to help you?"

"Because I am beyond your help, Papa," her voice was sad, "now keep silent, and let Jules deal with Mama herself for both our sakes."

With that, she bent down to kiss my forehead, and walked to Queen Charlotte's side before I could ask her anything else.

In the meanwhile, Julie's face remained emotionless for a long while as she thought over Rose's earlier words, swirling the wine in her glass absent-mindedly.

I wanted to tell her not to raise to the bait. I wanted to tell her that Rose was not worth the pain of facing the pianoforte again, not worth the painful embarrassment that would follow when everyone realised that she did not know how to play the pianoforte.

I had watched her grow up in Bordeux. The child could not stand the sight of the instrument without bursting into tears. Even after so many years, I knew the ivory keys reminded her horribly of Jeanne. I knew the pain that followed.

I knew, because it was the same for me. Every time.

But through all of this, I had forgotten one very crucial fact - that Julie was Jeanne's daughter. That she would have inherited the same stubbornness, the same pride. She would not back down.

I should have known.

Taking a deep breath, Julie now glanced up and smiled straight back at my smug-faced wife, much to the latter's obvious astonishment. "It would be an honour, Your Grace."

No one spoke in that one moment. Everyone wore identical masks of alarm and horror. I was sure my expression was reflecting theirs.

Only Tess looked almost proud.

However, Julie paid no heed to any of us. She set down her wine glass and stood up. She kept her hazelnut brown eyes trained on the shell-shocked Rose with a smouldering intensity, as if challenging her to announce to the whole world that she, Juliette Van Helsing, did not know how to play the pianoforte and should therefore be denied the chance to play.

Of course Rose would do no such thing that would jeopardize her own dignity or pride. "It is all yours, my dear," she gestured to the pianoforte, making the endearment sound like a curse.

Julie inclined her head, and began to stride over to the pianoforte, her delicate jaws set in determination. At that one moment, she looked almost as if she was preparing for battle.

However, the Crown Prince caught her hand before she could reach the pianoforte.

Surprise broke through her toughened façade she looked down, very much startled to see the Crown Prince and the Osterlundienne Queen both gazing up at her in worry. He murmured something quietly to her, his dark eyes fixed on hers with deep concern for her.

A special concern for her, I was beginning to suspect, that went beyond the boundaries of friendship. However, she only smiled a soft smile at him in reply, the kind that I had never seen unfold on her face till this day.

"I will be all right, Nick," she assured him gently, and loud enough for Rose to hear, "worry not."

Holding her head up high, she faced my wife's irritated glare with a smirk of her own, and proceeded to sit down on the seat in front of the pianoforte. She gazed hard at the pianoforte for a few moments, frozen, a myriad of emotions flitting through her face, mostly dominated by pain.

I wanted so badly to push her away from there and hide the pianoforte from the sight of the whole world, especially hers, if it meant that I did not see that expression on her face again.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed the Crown Prince's fists clench, his grey eyes stormy, as if he too was itching to pull her away from this room.

"Lady Juliette, we do not have all day," Rose reminded her waspishly, crossing her arms, "I do believe you have to leave for Anchorvale in an hour or so."

"I swear to God, I will – " I heard Kat hiss loudly, but the level-headed Lisa held her back, with great difficulty.

Once more, my wife paid no heed to her.

Julie jerked out of her thoughts, and shook her head, but I caught the single teardrop that splashed onto the ivory keys before disappearing from view. From the suddenly pained countenance of the Crown Prince, I assumed he had caught her brief lapse of control as well.

If I could shake Rose by the shoulders this instant until a good dose of sense entered that thick skull of hers, I would.

Taking another staggering breath, Julie placed both her trembling hands on the ivory keys, gently fingering them for a moment. Quite suddenly, she began to play the first few bars of a very familiar song, stumbling here and there, but the nature of the song was such that I would know it anywhere, even on my deathbed.

Jeanne's lullaby. Our mother's lullaby.

The Crown Prince leaned forward in surprise, his eyes shining with joy. I supposed he recognised the song as well, considering Jeanne had once been the royal pianoforte mistress.

Julie opened her mouth at that moment to sing the verses, the very ones Jeanne had initially written for Henri when they had been courting all those years ago.

When her hesitant, sweet, lilting voice filled the whole room, I could almost imagine that it was Jeanne who was sitting on that seat thirty years ago.

I have a huge garden

Filled with beds of roses.

Soft, fragrant, colourful;

a rare, beautiful treat.

A thousand years have passed,

as have the people who

admired my roses in

the passing and walked on.

Because everyone wants

a piece of forever

to hold on to - and

all roses are known to

bleed their lives out one day.

The Crown Prince stood up, and walked towards the pianoforte despite the bewildered Osterlundienne Queen's attempts to make him sit down. Julie's eyes rose then to meet his, startled, but pleasantly surprised as he sang the next line with her, their voices joining in perfect harmony, baritone and soprano.

And I want to tell them.

They did not look away from each other, as he leaned against the pianoforte in front of her. Almost at once, her playing grew more confident, and her errors began to fade away.

My roses will not wilt,

nay,

not while my love flourishes

in this world, pure and true,

hidden in that little piece

of forever you spend

forever trying to

find.

Throughout this week, I had gained a vague sense that the Crown Prince held my niece in a special regard and tenderness. When Julie had nearly drowned, I had seen the dark, wild desperation in his eyes. As if he could not bear to live without her.

However, till this moment, I did not know that those feelings could very possibly be returned.

Their eyes held each other with heavy intensity, and Julie's fingers moved across the pianoforte effortlessly, as if they had a mind of their own.

I see the thorns and every

drop of your blood beneath

those deceiving petals.

I see you, and your heart,

in every one of them.

So I will stay, in your

garden, with your roses

right by your side as your

little piece of forever;

if you will let me stay.

Another soft smile spread across her face upon hearing those words.

I could not look at them anymore. Every time I did, I only saw Jeanne and Henri when they were once truly happy. I only saw the future for them that could have been if not for the accident. The accident that had torn our family apart.

I turned to Rose instead, and even that sight was not much better. Her eyes were flashing dangerously, absolutely livid. Her pale fingers clutched her wine glass as if she would hurl it at them any moment.

Even this was a usual sight in the past. Rose had hated Jeanne and Henri with a passion I still could not comprehend to this day.

"Rose," I cast her a warning glance, "stop it."

She turned to me, scowling. "Do you see what that harlot is doing?" she hissed, "how could she do this to our daughter? How - "

"Rose," I warned, cutting her a dark, wicked look.

She fell silent at once, still fuming as she eyed our niece and the Crown Prince with nothing short of murderous fury.

My roses will not wilt,

nay,

not while my love flourishes

in this world, pure and true,

hidden in that little piece

of forever you spend

forever trying to

find.

At that moment, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I gazed up, startled to see the Osterlundienne Queen standing beside me, her eyes swirling with confusion as she gazed at me.

"We had best leave them alone," she whispered distantly.

I nodded in agreement.

In silence, I gestured at everyone to stand up and leave. The rest of them did not seem to mind, almost as if they had expected such a scenario all along. Even Tess obediently followed everyone else outside, keeping the Osterlundienne Queen company.

Rose was the problem.

"Rose," I took her hand and pulled her up, despite her protests, "you had your amusement. Now let us leave." With that, I dragged her with merciless force out of the room like I had wanted to the moment Julie had sat before the pianoforte.

When I closed the doors behind me, I could have sworn I saw Jeanne standing beside the pianoforte, observing her daughter and her former protégé enjoy her lullaby together, with a faint, loving smile playing about her lips.

***

A/N: Hehe, the verses of the song in this chapter are mine :) Before I came up with them, I suggested that you could listen to A Thousand Years by Christina Perri. If you still want to, I guess you can :)